Delhi witnessed widespread traffic congestion on Wednesday as the festive shopping rush, road encroachments and restrictions under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) added to the city's traffic woes, with commuters reporting long queues of vehicles and prolonged delays across several areas.
According to a PTI report, roads leading to major markets, including Sadar Bazar and Karol Bagh, were among the worst affected, with vehicles moving slowly through narrow stretches and encroachments leaving little space for pedestrians.
At Sadar Bazar, the stretch towards Qutub Road Chowk was severely congested, with commuters flagging vehicles allegedly parked illegally along footpaths. They also complained about the absence of cranes to remove unauthorisedly parked vehicles and clear the encroachments.
Similar complaints were reported from Ajmal Khan Road, where commuters alleged that indiscriminate parking was a recurring problem and that no action was being taken to address it.
The rush of shoppers heading to markets ahead of Diwali further strained the already congested roads, with long queues and slow-moving traffic reported at several intersections.
In central and north Delhi, commuters reported severe congestion at Inderlok, where vehicles were said to have remained virtually stationary for nearly half an hour at a traffic signal. Motorists were also reportedly stuck for around 20 minutes on Teen Murti Marg and Kushak Road, while heavy congestion was flagged on the stretch from 11 Murti towards Dhaula Kuan.
The stretch from Tal Katora Road towards Shankar Road was also heavily congested, with commuters seeking intervention from traffic personnel. Traffic slowed to a crawl around the Blind School, where a Diwali mela was underway, resulting in long queues on adjoining roads.
At Modi Mill near Kalkaji, motorists reported that more than 200 cars had been stuck in traffic for over 30 minutes, alleging that the congestion had become a daily occurrence, particularly during peak hours. Similar snarls were reported in Dwarka and East of Kailash.
Further north, commuters flagged bottlenecks at Prerna Chowk near Keshav Puram and on the road outside Keshav Puram Metro station, blaming stationary and improperly parked vehicles. Traffic was also reported to be crawling at Azadpur Flyover, where motorists complained of wrong-side driving and other traffic violations.
In south Delhi, congestion was reported outside Vasant Kunj police station, with commuters attributing it to vehicles parked outside the premises and a nearby traffic signal.
In Jasola, commuters alleged that unauthorised parking had taken over stretches of the road. Traffic police personnel were reportedly cited as saying that the parking arrangements had been permitted by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi.
Meanwhile, enforcement of restrictions on non-BS-VI vehicles entering Delhi added to the traffic situation at the Ghazipur border. Vehicles arriving from Uttar Pradesh were being checked by personnel, who used registration series and other vehicle details to ascertain their year of registration and emission standards.
PTI also reported that visuals shared online showed vehicles navigating heavily congested stretches near Akshardham Temple amid dense fog and reduced visibility. Commuters flagged snarls in Inderlok, Pitampura, Keshav Puram and several other areas, seeking immediate intervention from the Delhi Traffic Police.
Commuters called for the deployment of additional traffic personnel and volunteers at major intersections, alleging that inadequate staffing and indiscriminate parking were worsening congestion during the festive rush.
(With inputs from PTI)